Memories
by Eskimo-Otter
Summary: Duck Dodgers Fic. Living in the 24th 1/2 century had its perks: the sights, the places, the people. But despite the future being great, it still was missing something. Something he had taken for granted. ONESHOT


**Hey everybody! Eskimo-Otter here, and I've decided that there is officially not enough angst in this section and have written this, hopefully, tear-inducing ficlet. **

**I wanted to delve deeper into Duck Dodgers' character, I'm certain he had a life and friends before his career in the 24th 1/2 century and I decided to explore it a bit. I mean, if I woke up centuries later, with the entire world changed and all the people I knew were dead, I would have been a little upset. So here is my spin on Dodgers' reaction. Hope you like!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Duck Dodgers or Looney Tunes. They be property of the Warner Bros. I do own a microwave though...**

_~MEMORIES~_

Space. It was vast, dark, and cold. Its boundaries were endless, and scattered all across this universe were hundreds of planets each inhabiting its own form of life varying from people whose only facial features were eyes and skin as dark as night, to those who resembled humanoid swine.

One planet in particular had become one of the most prosperous planets in its galaxy, despite its young age compared to other worlds, and had become home to various forms of life not only limited to its original inhabits. It had started out slow in the first millennia or two, but had quickly risen in the ranks of the top world powers. Its technology advanced, its economy prosperous, its civilization flourishing, and its people-

"HEY! Watch its busther, I'm walking here!"

-mostly pleasant, save for one ill-tempered, black-feathered mallard. The aforementioned individual glared heatedly at the offending hover-car that had nearly made him a stain on the street.

Dodgers' dark eyes narrowed and he pointed a gloved finger at the windshield of the offending vehicle, "Watch where you're driving that thing, ya maniac! I'mpart of the Galactic Protectorate buddy, and if you even nudge me with that jalopy of yours, _ooh_ you'll be sorry!"

The driver of the hover-vehicle, an alien which looked like a cross between a hamster and gecko in Dodger's opinion, leaned out the window and glared at the duck with beady eyes. The alien shook its scaly paw at him and yelled something in its native tongue before slamming on the gas and leaving Dodgers to choke on the exhaust fumes it left behind.

"Oh yeah? Well same to you, pal!"

Dodgers muttered incoherently to himself as he continued his walk across the busy street of the city. Once he reached the sidewalk he was almost immediately swept away with the busy tide of late afternoon rush. People of various species bumped and rushed past him, without so much as a glance in his direction, completely focused on getting where they were headed. This made the already disgruntled duck even more irate.

"Sheesh, where'sth the fire? Ya'd think there was an invasion with the way thesthe guysth are going." Dodgers grumbled as he pushed past the people in his path, slowly making his way down the sidewalk.

He groaned as a particularly rushed alien accidently elbowed him in the shoulder. He grimaced as he rubbed it gingerly; what in the _world _had possessed him to walk? He could easily have taken a hover-taxi or an evaporator to get where he was going. Why was he walking?

Truthfully, he didn't know. Ever since he had gotten up this morning (at the astoundingly early time of 11:30; Cadet nearly fainted from the shock)he had decided to walk down the busy sidewalks of the over-populated capital, a rare break from his usual sloth-like tendencies, rather than use the convenient and advanced transport technology at his disposal. He was acting completely out of character today.

_I must be losthing my mind. _Dodgers thought to himself as he walked into a more open part of town, a square of sorts. Numerous shops and restaurants lined the streets; multiple aliens mingled and mixed in the area, laughing and socializing with one another. Vendors showed off their flashy goods, some demonstrating their uses: _Presenting the Trimmer 3000! Tired of that unsightly nose hair? Feeling unconfident and worried that people will notice? With the Trimmer 3000, we can rid you of that problem in less than 3 minutes! Now on sale for the amazing price of only 200 credits! Buy now!_

Dodgers scoffed at the tacky display; those things were a total rip off and they made your nostrils bleed something fierce. He would know; he bought one last week. It hadn't ended well.

_Still, _he mused, _Ya gotta admire the view. _And it was a sight. Big colorful buildings, some grounded, some floating were scattered all around the area. Bright and flashy holographic billboards and advertisements popped up around every corner. Food-vendor machines materialized goods out of thin air and presented them to their famished customers. Multiple hover-vehicles flew overhead, and many exotic aliens walked around the area, some were real easy on the eyes, others were not.

Dodgers' eyes trailed after a particularly cute-looking feline alien, and smirked. Yep, yep, yep, living the 24th ½ Century had its perks. He tore his gaze away from the female and shook his head, "Focusth Duck." He scolded himself and continued his march through the square.

Soon he came upon a much less populated part of town, accurately called the 'The Olde Town' as most of the buildings here were ground-level and much more out of date than the rest of the metropolis. Dodgers felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he observed some of the older buildings, some of which were in ruins. Constant feelings of déjà vu overwhelmed him as he walked past ancient structures, such as the Acme Factory and Joe's Diner, both of which were barely standing. However, when he came across one building in particular, he stopped dead.

The building looked like it was on its last legs, and it probably was. The once bright red bricks were now chipped and faded, most of the windows had been boarded up, and the paint job was completely washed out and peeling. Dodgers' eyes trailed toward the top of the building where several large letters, that were dull and slightly cracked, stood: THE NEE SLAPPER.

A frown formed on the mallard's wide beak. It was supposed to say 'THE _KNEE _SLAPPER'. Not 'NEE'. He would know, it had been one of the hottest places in town, one of which he had frequented, before…everything. Before he had become a space captain. Before he had attended the academy.

Before he had been frozen and plunged centuries into the future.

And now look at it. People used to come from all over town to get into this place, and only a select few (including himself, after many, _many _attempts) got in. It used to be a place where comedians could share jokes and swap stories while enjoying a good drink and the occasional karaoke contest. And now it was in shambles. Much like the rest of what had once been part of his time. Dodgers scowled at the sight of the graffiti that marred one of the brick walls and shook his head in disgust. Didn't anyone have any respect in the future?

Dodgers sighed heavily and gave one last remorseful look at the broken building. He shook his head again and carried on in his journey. No point on dwelling on old ghosts.

He winced slightly at that last thought and continued to a different part of town. Unlike the rest of 'The Olde Town' this part had remained mostly unchanged. Dodgers wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but he did remember a few years ago some big fancy corporation had wanted to start a building structure in this spot, which had raised many protests, saying that it was disrespectful and sacrilegious. In the end, the corporation relented and left the area untouched.

Dodgers then decided that it was a good thing they hadn't renovated the place because it would have made his journey a lot harder. He pushed open the iron gates that closed off the area and began searching.

After nearly half an hour, he finally found what he was looking for and approached it hesitantly, as if his mere presence was an intrusion of the normal peace and quiet of the secluded place. He walked slowly until he was stood right before the object of his wandering. He ran a hand through his dark plumage and chucked awkwardly.

"Eh…h-hey there. Been a while hasthn't it?" He was met with silence. He shifted his feet and lifted his eyes. He swallowed.

"H-how ya been doing?" he asked and kicked himself mentally for asking such a stupid question. _Oy, thisth is gonna be harder than I thought, _he thought distressed.

"Um, well, thingsth have been going pretty well fer me. I'm part of the Galactic Protectorate now. Captain actually. Got my own ship and sidekick too. Betcha ya didn't see that one coming, huh?" Another awkward chuckle.

There was a long uncomfortable silence that followed and Dodgers desperately tried to think of something to say. He swallowed again and began looking anywhere but directly in front of him.

"I, uh, thought I'd come by and visthit. You know, for…for old timesth sake." His teeth gnawed on the lower part of his bill and he sighed heavily.

"I'm, um, sorry for not coming by sooner. I...I've been really caught up with work and sthuff." He said lamely. Again he was met with silence. A heavy weight began to grow in the pit of his stomach and he suddenly found himself irrationally wishing that he would receive a response…something, _anything._

But he also knew that he was wishing for something impossible so he stopped. His shoulders slumped and he sighed again. Finally he forced himself to look ahead. The weight worsened.

"…You know…thingsth really haven't been the same without ya. I-I mean didja see what they did to the 'Slapper'? It'sth a crying shame. Blasthphemy." The silence greeted him again and Dodgers found himself staring into the darkening sky. Some lights could be seen, but they were most likely satellites in the Earth's atmosphere. The light pollution in this city pretty much blocked out any chance of seeing any stars. Not that he cared. He saw stars all the time when he was out on missions in his ship, with the Cadet. But the lack of stars for some reason tonight depressed him. He wanted to see them and forget…just for a little while.

But rather than forgetting, he began remembering.

* * *

"_Hey Daff, whatcha doin'?"_

"_What'sth it look like I'm doing? I'm signing up for thisth government experiment do-hickey! It's supposed to be real hush-hush, but they say that ya get full compensthation for yer time and it paysth great! I'll be rolling in money baby!"_

"_Daff, you know 'dose tings are usually scams dontcha? Or dere way dangerous and change yer life forevah. Whateva comes foist."_

"_Oh psh-shaw. You worry too much, it'sth just some little experiment that'sth researching some hibernation technique thingy. They'll probably just run a bunch of tesths and take my blood pressthure and I'll be livin' large by the weekend!" _

"_I dunno, Daff. Seems kinda fishy ta me. You may end up gettin' a lot more dan what ya bargained for." _

"_Again: psh-SHAW. And besthides when did you care? I don't see you busthing your back when I get chasthed by Fudd who'sth determined to have my head above histh fireplace."_

"_Aw, c'mon Daff. Yer my pal and I know you can hold yer own against Fudd. I'm just tryin' to look out for ya." _

"_I think I feel a tear coming on." _

"_You know, you're acting like a brat."_

"_I am not!"_

"_Are too."_

"_Am not!"_

"_Are too."_

"_Am NOT!"_

"_Are too."_

"_AM NOT!"_

"_Are not."_

"_AM TOO!"_

"_Are not."_

"_I AM TOO! AND THAT'STH FINAL!"_

"…"

"…"

"…_Hehe."_

"_You're _desthpicable_." _

_

* * *

_

That had been the last time they had spoken to each other, seen each other; because the next day Daffy, as he had been known back then, had gone to a big white building and didn't come out for over 300 years. To say he had been shocked would have been an understatement. At first he had been furious that he had been locked away for such a long time and had _not _received his paycheck, but was soon swayed by the offer of joining the academy and becoming a real 'space hero'.

For a long time, he had been completely blinded by thoughts of glory and fame; he was no longer Daffy Duck, a part-time comedian, but Duck Dodgers of the 24th ½ Century, Captain of the Galactic Protectorate. And he remained this way for years.

It wasn't until he had, by chance, passed by the old town while he was on a home-mission with the Cadet and had asked what it was all about. The Cadet had been delighted to tell him of the history of the forgotten town, and it was then Dodgers for the first time, felt a wave of homesickness. He began remembering times of the old days, when cars didn't float and deep space travel seemed like a far-off dream.

He also remembered _him_.

He remembered their last encounter, how it had ended like so many of their other 'spats' but hadn't know that it would be _the _last they would ever have. He hadn't realized before, how much he had depended on his friend to keep his life entertained. No, that wasn't the right word. Stimulated? Meaningful? He didn't know. But what he did know was that it felt like a piece of him was missing, that he was incomplete without having someone to argue and get into fights with.

He didn't know what he had, until he lost it forever.

It was around this time that Mars began making assaults on the Earth. Being the part of the Protectorate, he was called to the battle field where he crossed paths with a moody little Martian with a cue-ball for a head. He was snarky, arrogant and made Dodgers' blood boil. While the Galactic Protectorate saw a threat and menace, Dodgers had seen a new rival and had eagerly leapt at the chance without hesitation.

Looking back on it now, Dodgers felt a small tug of guilt of how easily he had found a new foe. But it wasn't his fault; it was just how he was. And even if he did have this new enemy, their brawls and verbal battles were never quite like the ones he had back in the 21st century. Those were irreplaceable. _He _was irreplaceable.

And it had taken him all this time to muster up the courage and actually come and visit. Nearly 10 years since he had woken up. Dodgers is slightly disappointed with himself.

But he was here now. Here and wanting to make up for lost time.

But that was impossible. And he knew it. He just didn't want to admit it.

Dodgers stared sadly at the sight in front of him. He didn't know what to do. What to say. What to _think_. And now, more than ever, he wished he could hear him say, "What's up Doc?" just one more time. Dodgers suddenly felt very tired. Like he had just run a marathon for two days straight and was just now getting a rest.

"You woulda loved it here," Daffy said weakly, "The sightsth, the placesth, the damesth. You know girlsth love a man in uniform. Can't keep em away from me." The weight was now a cannonball in his stomach and his vision began to blur.

"A-and the Cadet. You two woulda gotten along great, I know. He'sth a good kid. Makesth a mean pot-sticker pizza. And-and don't even get me started on that Martian shrimp. I _know _you woulda given the little cue-ball a run for histh money. H-he woulda _hated_you." Daffy choked and felt his throat close up. He wrapped his arms around himself and sat on the dead grass beneath him. He pressed his forehead to his knees and began to rock back and forth.

_I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry, I'm not gonna cry…_

But he did. Sharp gasping sobs wracked his frame and his nose began to run. He wailed at the top of his lungs, not really caring if anybody heard him. He shook his head from side to side, sobbing like a child.

"You-you JERK! H-how could ya _do _this to me? Why'd ya have to get old? Why'd ya have to die? ANSWER ME, BUGS!"

But he didn't receive an answer. So he just sat there and cried. And over the course of an hour his sobs became gasps, which became whimpers, until he was completely silent except for the soft shaky breaths he took. He stayed like that for about 10 minutes more before he looked up again. His eyes were red and puffy and his feathers were rumpled. He stared right at the horrible sight before him, _still _not wanting to believe it:

**BUGS BUNNY**

**LOVING FRIEND AND COMEDIAN**

**HE WILL FOREVER BE REMEMBERED IN OUR HEARTS AND EVERY TIME WE LAUGH**

**REST IN PEACE **

The words that were engraved in the stone were barely legible. Cracks and moss had appeared on the stone over time, but it was impressive that it had lasted this long. Daffy supposes he should be grateful for that. He stared at the stone for a long time, before he finally spoke again.

"Ya shoulda come with me. Then, you know, we'd both be here. Of coursthe you woulda probably ended up one-upping me again. In everything. But you know…I think…it-it woulda been worth it…to have you here…." He whispered.

It was silent in the cemetery. Silent like the grave. Daffy would have laughed if he had a sense of humor right now. Countless headstones and memorials surrounded him, but he paid little attention. He just wanted to be alone, with his best friend.

"_Come in Dodgers. Come in Duck Dodgers."_

The mallard let out a high-pitched shriek and jumped about five feet in the air at the sudden intrusion.

"WHO, WHAT, WHERE?" He looked around wildly, until he realized the voice was coming from the communicator in his pocket. Fishing it out, he looked irately at the small device as a man with gloves and a light-bulb hat came onto the screen.

"What? Whattaya want?" the duck snapped.

The man frowned and placed his hands on his hips, _"Dodgers, we've been trying to communicate with you for hours. Where have you been? We have a serious problem on our hands and we need you at headquarters immediately!" _

Dodgers rolled his eyes and growled, "Oh, alright sure! It'sth not like I'm _doing _anything!"

Dr. High frowned again and opened his mouth to retort but stopped. A look of confusion and concern crossed his features and he spoke up again quietly, _"Dodgers…have…have you been _crying_?"_

Dodgers' eyes widened and he hastily wiped at his face, "No, no! I'm fine! I mean really, _me_, crying? Hah! Crying'sth for sissiesth!"

Dr. High frowned again, but didn't delve further. _"Well, if you're fine then you need to get here ASAP. Over and out." _And cut the communication. Dodgers let out a sigh of relief. That was close. Too close.

No one else knew about Bugs, not even the Cadet. And no one would either, if he could help it. It was probably the selfish part of him taking over again, but he wanted to keep Bugs' memory and existence to himself. He had been _his _best friend and he didn't really want to share him with anyone else. Ever. It was the only piece of his past that he had completely to himself and it was special to him, as corny as it sounded.

Dodgers sighed again and ran a hand through his feathers. He radioed up the Cadet, "Hey Cadet, I need you to pick me up at the city square, alright?"

"_S-s-si-se-sure thing Cap'n. Be there soon."_

"Thanksth." Dodgers muttered and turned off the communicator. He stood slowly and looked at the headstone again and rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Well, uh, I gotta go. Captain dutiesth and whatnot. But I'll be back again real soon….I promise." He said meaning it. He began to walk away before stopping himself and began digging in his pockets.

"Oh, uh, before I forget…" He pulled out a carrot, perfectly orange with a leafy top, and set at the base of the marker. "I know you love thesthe thingsth. Dunno why, but I'd thought you'd might like it…so yeah."

He wiped his hands together and gave one last long stare. A sad, soft look came onto the mallard's normally smug and arrogant face.

"So long buddy."

He began walking away again.

And he didn't look back.

_~FIN~_

**Review please!**


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